Erling Haaland is a player that FC Barcelona have admired for quite a while now, having even tried to sign him back in 2022, before his move to Manchester City.
The 24-year-old Norwegian international continues to be a dream target for the Catalan club’s president Joan Laporta.
However, Robert Lewandowski’s brilliant start to the season led to speculations that Barcelona will not invest heavily in a new world-class centre-forward next summer and instead postpone it for 2026.
Plans change
But the past few matches have seen Lewandowski’s form dip, leading to concerns about whether he can cope with the relentless fixture schedule.
As such, Jota Jordi reports that Barcelona have decided to go for the signing of Erling Haaland in the summer of 2025.
Erling Haaland to Barcelona in 2025? (Photo by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images)
The belief within the Blaugrana entity is that Lewandowski might find it difficult to fire on all cylinders for another season, especially given the number of matches and the packed schedule.
Furthermore, there is a sense that Haaland could be on the move from Manchester City next year as the reigning Premier League champions could be facing punishment for the 115 charges of financial irregularities against them.
As such, Barça are prepared to make a move for the 24-year-old megastar, who has scored 18 goals and set up one more from 23 matches in the ongoing season for the Cityzens.
As has previously been reported, Haaland has a release clause in his contract with Manchester City which will come into effect in the summer of 2025.
However, the big concern is whether Barça will have the financial wherewithal to pull off the operation given their economic situation.
After all, it will take an enormous transfer fee to land the Norwegian, who will also seek a hefty contract while agent commissions are likely to be involved as well.
Not to forget, Barça’s arch-rivals, Real Madrid, also remain interested in Haaland and might have an upper hand.
*Player valuation in title obtained from transfermarkt.com on date of publication.